1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machining apparatus and equipment of a thin section long workpiece which machines the workpiece without using an exclusive-use jig. The thin section long workpiece has a constant thin section shape or has the same thin section shape at spaced positions in a longitudinal direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various thin workpieces of continuous lengths, which have constant section shapes as shown in FIG. 1, have been used as general building materials such as an aluminum sash. In this application such thin workpieces of continuous lengths are refered as xe2x80x9cthin section long workpiecesxe2x80x9d.
These thin section long workpieces are usually formed of metal materials such as an aluminum alloy, continuously manufactured by molding means such as extrusion molding, cut in predetermined lengths, and marketed. Moreover, when the thin section long workpiece is used as the aluminum sash, the workpiece is held by an exclusive-use jig adapted to the section shape, and an attachment hole of a key or the like or a threaded hole is machined. Also in the hole machining or the threaded hole machining, a tool for exclusive use adapted to the section shape of the thin section long workpiece is used.
FIG. 2 shows some examples in which a portion to be fixed in machining is different from a portion to be machined. That is, FIGS. 2j and 2k show that rectangular or cylindrical members or pipes are connected (fastened) to opposite ends, and FIG. 2l shows a member as a machining object with diagonal lines, which has the same section shape in spaced positions in a longitudinal direction.
As described above, in a conventional art, when a hole or a threaded hole is machined in the thin section long workpiece having a constant section shape and when the workpiece shown in FIG. 2 is machined, an exclusive-use jig or tool adapted to the section shape of the workpiece is necessary. Therefore, especially when variety of products are produced in small quantities, costs of the jig or the tool piles up, resulting in cost increase. Moreover, the jig or the tool requires long manufacturing times, and there is a problem that a total number of manufacturing period is increased. Furthermore, particularly when a small quantity of products are manufactured, a skilled worker manually machines these workpiece, therefore a dispersion of quality increases, and efficiency is disadvantageously deteriorated.
The present invention has been developed in order to solve the problem. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide machining apparatus and equipment of a thin section long workpiece, in which a side portion of the thin section long workpiece having a constant section shape or having the same section shape in spaced positions in a longitudinal direction is efficiently machined in an arbitrary shape in a short time without any exclusive-use jig or tool.
According to the present invention, there is provided a machining apparatus of a thin section long workpiece, comprising a workpiece clamp device (10) for horizontally holding the thin section long workpiece (1) having a constant section shape or having the same section shape in spaced positions in a longitudinal direction in two positions of the same section shape, wherein the workpiece clamp device (10) is constituted of a driving clamp device (10A) and a driven clamp device (10B) having the same holding device (12), the driving clamp device (10A) rotates the thin section long workpiece centering on a horizontal axis O extending in the longitudinal direction of the thin section long workpiece, and the driven clamp device (10B) follows the thin section long workpiece and idles centering on the horizontal axis.
According to the constitution of the present invention, the same holding device (12) disposed in both the driving clamp device (10A) and the driven clamp device (10B) can horizontally hold the thin section long workpiece (1) having the same section shape in two positions of the same section shape. Moreover, since the driving clamp device (10A) rotates the thin section long workpiece (1) centering on the horizontal axis O extending in the longitudinal direction of the thin section long workpiece (1), an arbitrary portion to be machined of the rotated thin section long workpiece can be directed in a direction for easy machining (e.g., upward direction). Furthermore, the driven clamp device (10B) follows the thin section long workpiece (1) and idles centering on the horizontal axis O so that the whole workpiece can be held constantly horizontally.
Therefore, while the thin section long workpiece is held constantly horizontally, the portion to be machined of the workpiece is directed in the direction for easy machining (e.g., upward direction), and the side portion of the workpiece can be machined efficiently by an appropriate machining tool (e.g., a drill and an end mill).
According to a preferable embodiment of the present invention, the holding device (12) includes: a hollow ring (13) supported so as to be rotatable centering on the horizontal axis O and which inner portion has a cylindrical shape; an intersecting flat member (14) attached to an inner portion of the hollow ring and which has two flat portions extending in parallel with the horizontal axis and crossing at some angles to each other; and a holding head (15) directly moved in a diametrical direction toward the intersecting flat member and freely tilted centering on an axis parallel to the horizontal axis O.
According to the constitution, the thin section long workpiece (1) is horizontally held through the hollow rings (13) of both the driving clamp device (10A) and the driven clamp device (10B), and the respective holding heads (15) are directly moved toward the intersecting flat member (14), so that the thin section long workpiece (1) can be held between the holding head (15) and the intersecting flat member (14).
Moreover, in this case the intersecting flat member (14) has two flat portions extending in parallel to the horizontal axis O and crossing at some angles to each other, and the holding head (15) tilts centering on the axis parallel to the horizontal axis O. Therefore, even when the thin section long workpiece (1) has a complicated odd-shaped section, at least three points including contact points of two flat portions and a contact point of the holding head (15) contact the thin section long workpiece. Therefore the thin section long workpiece (1) can securely be fixed in order to bear machining resistance during machining.
Furthermore, the machining apparatus includes: a machining head (21) having a machining tool (2) and a machining liquid supply device and driven centering on a vertical axis Z; and a NC driving device (22) for driving the machining head in a Z-axis direction, and X-axis direction and Y-axis direction crossing at right angles to the Z-axis direction with respect to the thin section long workpiece (1) by numerical control.
According to the constitution, the thin section long workpiece (1) remains to be horizontally held, the portion to be machined is directed in a direction in which the workpiece is easily machined (e.g., upward direction), and a machining liquid is supplied by the machining liquid supply device. The machining tool (2) attached to the machining head (21) is numerically controlled in three axis directions, and the portion to be machined can accurately be machined.
Furthermore, the NC driving device (22) includes: a Z-axis driving device (24) for driving the machining head (21) in the Z-axis direction by numerical control; an X-axis driving device (26) for driving the Z-axis driving device in the horizontal X-axis direction crossing at right angles to the horizontal axis O by numerical control; and a Y-axis driving device (28) for driving the X-axis driving device in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal axis O by the numerical control.
According to the constitution, the Z-axis driving device (24) drives the machining head (21) in the Z-axis direction by the numerical control, the X-axis driving device (26) drives the Z-axis driving device and machining head in the horizontal X direction crossing at right angles to the horizontal axis O by the numerical control, and the Y-axis driving device (28) can drive the X-axis driving device, Z-axis driving device, and machining head in the Y-axis direction parallel to the horizontal axis O by the numerical control. Therefore, these driving devices (24, 26, 28) numerically control the machining tool (2) attached to the machining head (21) in three axis directions, and the portion to be machined can accurately be machined.
Moreover, the machining head (21) is an ultrasonic device which generates a straight vibration of the Z-axis direction, or a torsional vibration around the Z-axis direction.
According to the workpiece, burrs can be reduced, and the apparatus can be applied to hard materials.
The machining tool is a cutting tool having an intermittently cutting blade, a grinding tool having a continuously cutting blade, or a polishing tool having much elasticity. These tools can process a broad range of materials other than metals, such as glass, ceramic, carbide alloy, and semiconductor (ceramic).
The cutting tool has an end mill shape for machining the side portion in an upper portion of the Z-axis direction, and also has a drill shape for making a hole or machining an end portion in a lower portion of the Z-axis direction. According to this composite cutting tool, hole making and hole-expanding (shape) machining as a transverse feeding of the workpiece can effectively be realized by one tool.
The grinding tool is preferably formed of a conductive grindstone, and includes an electrolytic dressing device. The constitution enables a high-quality hole machining (hole making, and shape machining) of the hard material.
The driving clamp device (10A) includes a worm driving device having a worm and worm wheel, or a belt driving device having a belt, pulley, and brake. According to the constitution, the thin section long workpiece (1) can smoothly be driven centering on the horizontal axis O, and positioned.
Moreover, according to the present invention, there is provided a machining equipment of a thin section long workpiece, comprising: a conveying apparatus (34) for horizontally conveying the thin section long workpiece (1) in a width direction of the workpiece; a plurality of workpiece machining apparatuses arranged at spaces in the width direction of the workpiece; and an carrying apparatus (36) for carrying in the thin section long workpiece into each machining apparatus and carrying out the workpiece from the machining apparatus, wherein the thin section long workpiece is continuously subjected to different machinings.
According to the constitution, the conveying apparatus (34) horizontally conveys the thin section long workpiece (1) in the width direction of the workpiece, and the carrying apparatus (36) carry in the thin section long workpiece into each machining apparatus and carry out the workpiece from the apparatus. Therefore, the plurality of workpiece machining apparatuses (20) arranged at the space in the width direction of the workpiece can continuously perform different machinings on the thin section long workpiece at the same time. The odd-shaped workpieces such as an aluminum sash can continuously be machined, a machining time per workpiece is shortened, and productivity can be enhanced.
Moreover, according to the present invention, there is provided a machining equipment of a thin section long workpiece, comprising: a conveying apparatus (34) for horizontally conveying the thin section long workpiece (1) in a width direction of the workpiece; a plurality of workpiece machining apparatuses arranged at an space in the width direction of the workpiece; and a reciprocating apparatus (38) for reciprocating the machining apparatus in a longitudinal direction of the workpiece, wherein the thin section long workpiece is continuously subjected to different machinings.
According to the constitution, the conveying apparatus (34) horizontally conveys the thin section long workpiece (1) in the width direction of the workpiece, and the reciprocating apparatus (38) reciprocates the machining apparatus in the longitudinal direction of the thin section long workpiece, so that the end of the thin section long workpiece is carried in each machining apparatus and carried out from them. Therefore, the plurality of workpiece machining apparatuses (20) arranged at spaces in the width direction of the workpiece can continuously perform the different machining on the thin section long workpiece at the same time.
Other objects and advantageous characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.